Peace pact: MASSOB disowns Uwazuruike

Aggrieved members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) insisted at the weekend on pursuing the actualisation of an independent Biafra state as against the unity pact agreement signed by their leader, Ralph Uwazuruike.

The members, who distanced themselves from the plan to jettison the agitation for a united Nigeria, vowed to continue with the struggle, until “Biafrans are liberated from perceived oppression by the Nigerian government”.

The MASSOB leader had during a meeting in Owerri, the Imo State capital, with other separatists, including Dr Frederick Fasehun, Asari Dokubo, Hamza al-Mustapha, Mohammed Abacha and Yerima Shetimma, issued a communique in support of the unity and coexistence of Nigeria.

The group, under the umbrella of the National Unity Alliance (NUA), headed by Fasehun, founder of the Odua People’s Congress (OPC), posited that it would no longer be manipulated by mischievous and power thirsty politicians to disintegrate Nigeria for selfish reasons.

But back home, the action of the MASSOB leader was seen as a betrayal of the cause for which many had been killed, maimed and displaced during the civil war fought more than 40 years ago.

It has also generated widespread criticisms among members of the group, who had sustained the Biafran struggle in the last 13 years.

One said: “We felt betrayed. We have wasted substantial years of our lives fighting for the independence of Biafra. Most of us have died in the process, while many others are languishing in prisons across the country.

“Apart from this steep price, we have equally paid through our nose to fund the movement. But we are not going to allow all these sacrifices to go in vain.

“For us the struggle for Biafra has just begun. Our collective destiny is greater than any person or group of persons.”